A rare photo of a Woolworths has caused a stir after eagle-eyed viewers noticed there were no self-service machines at the checkout.
A customer spotted the server-only counters at a Sunnybank supermarket in Brisbane and shared it with Reddit on Wednesday.
‘Woolies without self-service. Everything went smoothly,” the shopper wrote.
Only two percent of Woolworths stores across the country have not yet installed self-service checkouts, with Sunnybank being one of them.
The photo sparked nostalgia among many shoppers.
A customer was shocked to discover that Woolworths in the Brisbane suburb of Sunnybank (pictured) does not have a self-service section
Across Australia, 98 percent of Woolies stores have a self-service area, with more to be rolled out in the future
‘Oh yes, back when Woolworths looked and felt the same as browsing an IGA. Good times,” one person wrote.
“Is it just me, or did Woolies stores have a completely different vibe in the 90s/early 00s than they do now?” said another.
“Bring this back,” wrote another.
“Ahh, back in the day, when the cashier still cared about her job,” said one.
“You know, we’ve reached a point where we have a young generation that is completely avoiding face-to-face socialization,” wrote another.
Many shoppers said they preferred to scan the items themselves because they are faster, don’t lag behind people and couldn’t understand why other shoppers missed the “good old days.”
‘Am I the only one who likes self-service? Headphones in, don’t have to talk to anyone, can scan and pack my bag however I want and bail,” one customer wrote.
‘Say what you want, but I HATE cash registers with employees. I like to do my own thing and avoid talking to and/or bothering anyone if I can,” said another.
‘F**k that! I use a wheelchair and self-service makes shopping so much easier for me. I can go at my own pace: unload without rushing, pack without rushing,” wrote another.
Self-service checkouts appear to be a love-hate topic for many shoppers
However, many shoppers were quick to point out that the Sunnybank store could soon change, due to a sign in the background of the photo.
“The sign says ‘fresh new look coming soon’ which in Woolies-speak means all those tills will be removed and replaced with self-service very soon,” one person wrote.
Some customers felt that when self-service checkouts were first introduced they worked better, but now the technology is slow, especially as baggage weights are detected and stuck behind people scanning their weekly shop.
According to data from Woolworths and reported by 7 NewsFor a basket of 20 items or less, 83 percent of Woolworths customers opt for self-service checkouts.
However, if a shopping cart contains more than 20 items, 66 percent of Woolies customers opt for a manned checkout.
Woolworths has installed self-service checkouts in 98 percent of their stores, with more to be rolled out in the future.
Woolworths is also seeing strong demand for faster self-service transactions as purchasing behavior has shifted to more frequent and smaller stores.
For those who still prefer the experience of being served by a human, all Woolworths stores offer that option.